Tool for reshaping automobile panels



W. H. FERGUSON TOOL FOR RESHAPING AUTOMQBILE PANELS Oct. 18, 1949.

Filed Sept. 7, 1945 ya aagmm -Invenior:

T VZZZ imHFrgusdn m (Hays.-

Patented Oct. 18, 1949 TOOL FOR RESHAPIN,GUAUTOMOBILE PANELSL" l William H.:FergusonpMalden,-Mass.,-assignomto 1 Porter; Incl Everett;1Mass:;;a,corporation of :Massachusetts.

Application September 7, 1945",Seria'lNo.6151120 2. Claims. (Cl.- 8,1+;15l)

Fig: 1; is aperspectiveview-ofaportion of an'- automobile door-with parts-brokemawa and il-l lustrating; a-characteristicapplication of the tool Fig. .21'is a plan and Fig.23: a side elevationof onetformofrtool;

Fig-s54: and: 5 are a planandna side elevation,- respectivelygof Ia modified :form of tool; andi Figs.- 6, '7 and 8 !are...diagrammatic views, nottorscaleor lin;relative proportionillustrating sue?- cessive stages of the:picking process zperformed In reshaping the panels of automobile bodies: which: havebeenvinjured in collisions thesmajor deformations may be brought back. to. their approximate ori-ginal position by :use ofipushing tools.

of suitable design conveniently:- powered by a hydraulic jackl-l Other dents; it easily accessible. from; both sides, may loe:hammeredllinto their. proper contour byiuse of a; hammer and suitable dolly blocks. In:,m0dern automobile practice many pants are not so accessible.loecausezcovered";

over by the interior construction-through which avenues of access are most restricted Fre-- quentl relatively small dents occur alongmare. gins ,of the panels to whichaccess is most difficult. Even:when not of functional importance, such dents are often particularly unsightly,v detracting; from appearance and .from the resale valueof the car.

I have found that by the use of suitabletools,

of which that disclosed inthepresent application is an example, such dents may loe quickly, and satisfactorily reformed by a series of prying'actions-onothe interior, or convexzsurf'ace-rot :the dent rperformed'at closely-spaced poi ts by means Ofa rigid, pointed;toolrformedsto permit access;

from a: relatively remote point eitherethroughi an existing, available; opening or through;- an opening; of restricted size formed iorwthenpurpose anda whichmayitlrereafterbeclosed; Asidistinguisheda from pressingmctionss effectedby= means 1: of :con-,::

toured espoons, the "successive pressures are concentrated substantially at single points of.- thei w0rk-:-- Whilemuch-of the reshaping, as directedby the sk -ill'of :the-operator, will be pressing back of the panel to its original :contour, in general: smaller rreversed -bends: in thenature of small; hollow--domes will- -be formed representing-ea. gathering: ofthe: stretched metal into =4 smaller; rugosities or sinuosi ties to permit it to alieiinlgenteral al-ong its originalacontour of: smallertarea. Characteristicazlly the paneL-w-hen-soroughly; re-= formed '-will show; onr thei: exteriora minon.-.exa-v crescences --or pimplesat the :points a iiliherelpresa sure wasapp1iedat the interior, which should nots 'be so.high-that:their interion hollows .extend 0ut.-.. wardly past theecontour line of .th'e panel. These maybe dressed offley filingvorigrindingitoprovide, a smoothly contoured outer surface which may; berefinishedt- The" repair- ;in some instances may be efiected;by repeatedlapplication 0f .theseastepst,

Thus,i-ireferringztonthe diagrams Eigsfi, 7 and: 8, inrFig: 6:41 showsiwithout. pretense;to dimene; sionallverisimilitude', a contoured -pan'el pzinwhich. thereii's anrinward dentzdz. Fig.1 showstthe dentx broughti ba'ck approximately 1 to the. original contour Joy wpryin'gvoperationsuonzzthe side, whichv is. loweniini the figure; thetvorktleaving the: rebent', part; interruptedacby. smaller; :reverse: bendings e, whereinuthermeta li"has g beenz strained incthe' ope -l positez direction and: in apart? pressed up: in such manner: asatotashow smalL excrescences at thev exterionl We; mays consider thatra: part lofl the excess:.areaoofumetalr astseengin [Fig.1 .6 has been: redistrihuteduin: a series: 50f smaller 1 sinuosities; appncximating tthershorter simple; :curvature. -oftheoriginal COH'DOHIMI FigLEshQWsthe outer-sure"; facesroftiith'ese-iexcrescencesne dressed vofi torthe: original: c0ntour;;;the hollows h:formed--therehyzat -v thel underside .lofzl-the rfignre, l-which represents the interionsurfacepoiuthegpanel which is "OUt'lfOf"; sight, beingst l pr nt- Thectools uh'ereina show-mare,- generallyz straight: stocks .with pointedv .ends suitably; shaped:-. and positionedaas will-morerfullyibe described? While-t the particular; dimensions:mayyarmgin any- ;in-;,

stance thelitooldszof azsizelto abecwielded in one;

handbut 0f Qat'sectiom WhiGhIPI'GVidGSE substantial-t rigidity under manuallyiexerted strainszinwusec The drawingdllustratesiactualtgtools: designed for operation-s instightl or .;-inconvenient places; :which,'., howeverpmayzbze zapproached fairly; closely-icy; the operatorfs handy. These; were forged; .from: steel? rod of: hexagon; crossrsection; measuring; /2 11 311. incltacrossrzand: arexabouta 11:;inches long-spree vidin'gr-th'e wieldabilitysandlrigidityqreferred to.

Referring to the form of tool shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it is provided with a proximal grip portion l adapted to be encircled by the grasping hand and thus of a length approximating a hands breadth from which extends a straight tapering shank [2, the tip M of which is deflected at a low angle to the axial line and terminates in an outwardly and laterally directed point It. The point is not needle sharp and may be characterized as a blunt point. It is adapted to make contact with a substantially single point of the work and is to be distinguished from a broad face or peen and also from a chisel-shaped edge. The tapering of the main shank E2 of the tool provides a better balance and also facilitates the introduction of the pointed end into the interior construction of the automobile without, however, detracting from essential rigidity. If we consider a fulcrum along the length of the portion l2 about which the prying action is exerted in the radial plane through the axis of the portion II! which contains the point, the strain on the portion extending between the fulcrum and the point will act through a relatively short lever arm so that the resistance of the tool to bending strains thus exerted is substantially uniform throughout its length, whatever the location of the fulcrum. The farther from the point, the greater the cross section at the fulcrum.

Because of the tapering which has been referred to, the end I4 of the tool appears as and is in fact a deflection of the tapered body to one side in a radial plane through the longitudinal center line of the straight proximal portion, but nevertheless, as will be observed from Fig. 4, the point I6 is located substantially within the projected outline of the grip It as will be referred to later.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the modification there shown has a similar hand grip I0 and tapered shank 12 but the distal portion Ma there-- of for a relatively great length is curved outwardly along a curve of gradually decreasing radius, the point I6 being located substantially at the extremity of the concave side of the curve, being formed by bevelling off the convex side at the end as illustrated in Fig. and at the sides as shown in Fig. 4. The point faces outwardly at a low angle and in the example shown is offset from the axial line of the tool for a distance about equal to the diameter of the grip portion I0.

Fig. 1 illustrates a characteristic simple application of the tool in which we may suppose that there is a dent in the panel of an automobile door closely adjacent the belt line at the point a. While the interior surface of the panel at this point is not accessible for operation thereon by hand dollies or spoons, a tool of the type disclosed may be inserted as shown in Fig. 1 through the opening in which the door glass normally runs. The edge of the construction along the inner side of this opening provides a fulcrum for the tool in the manner shown in Fig. 1. When the handle end thereof is pressed downwardly, viewing the figure, a prying action of the point on the convex side of the dent is effected, the operation being carried out in the manner explained in connection with Figs. 6, 7 and 8.

' In Fig. 1 an opening for the insertion of the tool is found at hand. In other instances it may be possible to punch a hole in the normally unexposed portions of the construction through which a tool may be inserted, the tool finding a fulcrum bearing on the edge of the opening. Such an opening may thereafter be closed by welding if necessary. The fact that the tool tapers minimizes the required size of such an open- The normal operation of the tool is a prying one in the radial plane through the center line of the proximal straight portion defined by the point l6 and substantially vertical to the surface bein operated on. To facilitate control of the tool and indicate to the workman the position of the point l6, which in use will ordinarily be hidden from him by intervening portions of the automobile structure, the inner portion of the grip ill on the side thereof which faces in the same direction as the point I6 may be formed with a recess I8, the wall of which inclines inwardly of the stock and outwardly from the butt end of the tool to provide a shallow, rearwardly facing shoulder 20 (Figs. 3 and 5), the construction as a whole forming a seat for the ball of the thumb when the stock is grasped by the fingers of the hand.

The outwardly directed disposition of the point l6 at a low angle effects contact thereof with the work. In the examples illustrated, this angle approximates 30 and 40 respectively, which are preferred, and the angle should not exceed about 60. The tool is normally swung in the plane of the paper, viewing Figs. 3 and 5, and is not normally used to pry with a movement of rotation about its longitudinal axis. However, if it is not presented squarely to the work, a twisting reaction will be set up. When, as in Figs. 2 and 3, the point lies within the projected outline of the hand grip l0, it cannot act through a lever arm greater than that through which the grasping hand works and the tool is thus readily controlled. In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the point is spaced about one diameter from the axial line. If the curved end of the tool is tipped at an angle of about 30 to the work, the effective lever arm exerting the twist will then be equivalent to one-half the actual offset or equal to the radius, which is the lever arm available to the hand at the grip l0. Thus we may consider a point l6 spaced at most but little more than one diameter from the axial line to be closely adjacent to that line.

In using a tool of the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in some instances pressure may be applied about a fulcrum close to the point and along the curved portion M of the shank. The formation of this part along a curve of gradually decreasing radius provides that the point will be presented to the work in substantially the same manner, whatever the location of the fulcrum alon the curved portion I4.

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, as is in fact clear in several matters from the description itself. Reference is to be had to the appended claims to indicate those principles of the invention exemplified by the particular embodiment described and which I desire to secure by Letters Patent.

I claim:

1. A tool for picking up dents in sheet metal panels by repeated prying action thereon at closely spaced points comprising a generally straight lever wieldable in one hand and of I a section rigid under manually applied stress, the

lever comprising a proximal hand grip and a smoothly tapering shank of substantially circular section, the surface of which shank merges disclosely spaced points comprising a lever wieldable 10 in one hand and of a section rigid under manu-- ally applied stress, the lever comprising a hand grip, a coaxial smoothly tapering shank of substantially circular section and a distal portion constituting an extension of said shank along an easy and smooth curve, the end being cut away to provide a point at the end of the concave side of the curve directed forwardly and outwardly at a low angle to the axial line of the body of the shank and closely adjacent thereto whereby a substantial fraction of the force exerted by the grip of the hand to resist rotation of the tool in the hand is effective as a torque-resisting force at the point. i

WILLIAM H. FERGUSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 412,479 Davis Oct. 8, 1889 1,162,681 Bush Nov. 30, 1915 1,206,064 Watters Nov. 28, 1916 1,385,948 Norlund July 26, 1921 1,581,119 Herring Apr. 20, 1926 1,883,684 Garrett Oct. 18, 1932 2,311,789 Taylor Feb. 23, 1943 

